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EDITOR Cara Mott
DEPUTY EDITOR AND KA! JAM
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jacob Adams
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Philippa Martin
PROOFREADER Chris Horne CONTACT US Phone Offce – 020 7367 4910
This week’s cover of Kids Alive! shows the winning design of our Christmas Card Competition, which was created by 12-year-old Natalie. When we frst saw it, we were about as blown away as Father Christmas’s hat in a snowstorm – it’s absolutely brilliant!
We love that Natalie has drawn a whole town playing in the snow together. The people look like they’re having a fantastic time – especially the kids throwing snowballs at each other. And they all have such warm and inviting homes to go back to!
When Mary and Joseph frst arrived in Bethlehem, they struggled to fnd a cosy place to stay in.
Then an innkeeper invited them to stay in a stable, which was probably warm and cosy, with lots of hay to make beds with. And when Jesus was born, there was even a manger for him to lay in!
The story of the frst Christmas is full of people showing kindness and warmth to others. The kind innkeeper gives the family somewhere to stay, the shepherds visit to celebrate the special occasion and the wise men bring presents for the new baby.
There are plenty of ways we can show kindness and warmth to the people around us too. That might be by inviting them to come to church so that they can learn about Jesus. Or giving someone a thoughtful card. Or helping people experiencing homelessness by donating to a charity such as The Salvation Army. We hope that you have the cosiest and warmest Christmas you’ve ever had! But we also hope that you help others to have a cosy Christmas too!
Turn to pages 14 and 15 to see the fab designs by our runners-up and age category winners
By
Season’s Greetings
As well as being on our cover, Natalie’s beautiful design is on an e-card website. It can be sent to people and raise money for The Salvation Army.
The Salvation Army is a Christian church and charity that also publishes Kids Alive! During Advent you might see Salvation Army bands playing Christmas carols on a high street or in a shopping centre. They’ll be collecting money to help people, so if you see them, ask your parents or carers to make a donation!
The Salvation Army’s work focuses on loving God and loving others – two things that Jesus tells us are the most important instructions about how we should live. We should tell people about how amazing God is as often as we can. We should also share God’s love through actions that help others. That’s what The Salvation Army is all about, and it’s what we should all be about too.
Natalie, Age 12
Can you imagine how it would feel to suddenly be given the most important task in the world? Picture this – a bunch of secret agents burst through your door! ‘Put down your copy of Kids Alive! and come with us,’ they shout. Then they take you to a private jet and lightly break the news to you. You’ve just been picked to become the next president of the United States of America!
I’m obviously being a bit silly, but does that help you to imagine how Mary must have felt in this week’s Bible cartoon? Mary was just a teenager, but she’d been told that she was going to give birth to the most important baby ever!
Mary could have panicked. She could have asked God to pick someone else in her place. Instead, Mary told the angel Gabriel that she was God’s servant. Then Mary said that she hoped that what she had been told would happen! That’s because Mary had faith that God knew what he was doing. Mary knew that God had the perfect plan for her, even if that plan seemed super scary!
Is there anything that’s making you feel scared at the moment? Perhaps you’ve been asked to help with something at church, or you’ve found out that you’re moving to a new home. Whatever it is, have faith that God knows what he’s doing. Have faith that God loves you and has a plan for you, even if that plan isn’t quite what you might expect it to be! Mary had faith – will you?
asks Jacob Adams
Pray or Run Away
How might you react when asked to do something that’s good but also a bit nerve-racking? Put a tick next to the good reactions and a cross next to the bad ones!
Advent A Season of Faith
Check out your Bible –Luke 1:26-38
Christingle Prayers
Christingles are used to celebrate the light and hope that Jesus’ birth brought to the world. Many churches hold Christingle services during December to celebrate this light. This Advent season we’ll be looking at what each part of a Christingle means. Why not join in with our Christingle prayers and let the light of Jesus fll your heart this Christmas?
The red ribbon represents God’s love for the world and the blood of Jesus
Join...
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Thank you that you loved the world so much that you sent your son, Jesus, to come and save us. Thank you, Jesus, for taking the punishment for the wrong things we do and for choosing to die for us. Thank you that because of what you did for us, we get to have a relationship with God that will last for ever. We pray that this Christmas many more people will come to know you and choose to accept your gift of forgiveness.
Dear God, Amen
KA! JAM is the coolest Bible activity club around. As a member you’ll go on amazing adventures through the Bible learning about Jesus. Each activity sheet is filled with lots of great stuff about being a Christian. You’ll also receive our mini-mag, Chatterbox which is filled with jokes, games and much more. And to top it off, there are loads of awesome prizes to be won! To join KA! JAM and complete the Bible activity courses online, go to salvationist.org.uk/kajam.
Or if you would like to receive the postal version, simply fill in the coupon below.
To join KA! JAM just fll in the application form and send it – along with two KA! JAM, 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. Applicants must be between 7 and 17 years old to join.
Date of birth:
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Boy or girl: Do you attend a church, and if so, which one?
I, (signature)
apply for membership of Kids Alive! Jesus And Me. I understand that joining KA! JAM doesn’t mean I have joined The Salvation Army and that it is not a free subscription to Kids Alive!
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To see your name and birthday printed in a future issue of KA! email your full name, address and date of birth to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to type ‘Happy Birthday to You!’ in the email’s subject box.
7 December
Chesney Graham – age 10
8 December
Finley Grosvenor – age 11
12 December
Farah Manshed – age 11
Christmas
Good Will
Hello! I’m Good Will and I’m here to remind you about the importance of doing nice things. I’ve also hidden this gingerbread person on another page in this week’s ISsue. In the Run-up to Christmas, spread some Christmas cheer by…
Making a Christmas card to give to someone who lives on their own
In Japan, KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is so popular at Christmas that its name might as well stand for Kentucky Father Christmas! In fact, KFC can get so busy on Christmas Day that people need to order their food two months in advance!
You probably know the date of Christmas Day and the name of the reindeer with a shiny, red nose. However, there are plenty of facts about Christmas we reckon you haven’t got stored in your noggin! So here are a couple of random Christmas facts that you defnitely (and by defnitely, we mean don’t really) need to know.
Do you have a Christmas tree in your house? People have had trees in their homes for a very long time. In fact, some ancient Egyptians and Romans used to have trees in their houses in winter!
In the 16th century, Christians in Germany started to bring trees into their homes at Christmas. Some Christians in Germany even decorated their trees with lit candles!
He he, he he! What did one cranberry say to the other at Christmas?
‘’Tis the season be jelly!’
What do gingerbread men use when they break their legs? Candy canes!
byNeilLocker
Ho ho, ha ha, he he!
Did you hear about the angry snowman? It had a meltdown!
What did the salt say to the pepper at Christmas? ‘Season’s greetings!’
What did Santa and Mrs Claus name their daughter? Mary Christmas!
What did one snowman say to the other? ‘Do you smell carrots?!’
What’s the best Christmas present to receive? A broken drum, you just can't beat it!
Which one of Father Christmas’s reindeer has the best moves? Dancer! What kind of bug hates Christmas? A bah humbug!
Identify the mystery item in the magnifying glass
across:
Crossword Clues
by Neil Locker
Crossword Clues
1 Brief swim or a creamy sauce. 3 Christmas carol: ‘ _ _ _ _! The Herald Angels Sing’ 6 Linked Christmas decoration: paper _ _ _ _ _.
7 Atmosphere. 8 Mother of Jesus. 10 Dutch cheese. 12 Historical period. 13 Mediterranean tree with a small oily fruit. 15 The wise men followed one from the East. 16 Word of agreement.
down:
1 Christmas month. 2 Pod vegetable. 3 Third day of Christmas gifts: three French _ _ _ _. 4 Children’s author: _ _ _ _ _ Dahl. 5 Twelfth day of Christmas gifts: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ drumming.
9 Traditional Christmas Day meal. 11 Number of calling birds in the Christmas song. 14 Christmas carol: ‘The Holly and the _ _ _’.
c h r i stm a s WO R D S E A R C H
Find the Christmas-related words in the grid
ICE CREAM CART COMPETITION
your favourite villain Malefcent, the evil fairy in Sleeping Beauty ? Or is it Lotso, the terrible teddy bear from Toy Story 3? This week’s prize comes with fve Disney villain mini-fgures, but we wouldn’t call any of these fgures terrifying! That’s because they’ve been turned into teeny-tiny ice creams!
The Disney Munchlings Ice Cream Cart playset is an adorable pushcart that comes with fve Disney Munchlings toys. All fve toys look like ice creams, and they smell like ice cream too! The playset also comes with a display case in the cart for you to show off your Disney Munchlings fgures. When you push the Disney Munchlings sign, the fgures in the display case will change colours and light up!
For your opportunity to win your own Disney Munchlings Ice Cream Cart playset, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to put ‘Disney Munchlings Ice Cream Cart Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 3 January when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by flling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: Disney Munchlings Ice Cream Cart Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.
What is the name of the villainous teddy bear in Toy Story
3 ?
Lotso Woody Rex
Name:
Address:
CHRISTMAS JUMPER COLOURING
A sleigh fying through the sky! A Christmas tree with lots of colourful baubles! A reindeer with a big, red nose! There are so many different designs that you can fnd on a Christmas jumper. It’s Christmas Jumper Day this Thursday (12 December), which is the perfect day to wear your own favourite festive jumper. To celebrate, why not decorate the jumper below with your own Christmassy design? If you’d like to share your artwork with other readers, email your colouring to: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Make sure you write ‘Christmas Jumper Colouring’ in the subject box and give us your full name, age and address. Alternatively you can post your colouring to: Your Space, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. One last reminder, if you’re sending by post remember to fll in the details below so we know who you are. We send a gift to everyone whose colouring we publish, so don’t miss out!
Name: Age:
Address:
Postcode:
Living a healthy and an active lifestyle and caring for your physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
Festive Fun
Christmas Day is so close that the team at Kids Alive! are getting very excited. We’ve started making our way through our Advent calendars and we’ve put up decorations all around our homes. However, you might not yet be feeling as Christmassy as we are! If that’s the case, here are a few different things that you can watch or read that might help you to start feeling jolly in the run-up to Christmas Day!
Father Christmas’s Film Favourites
Imagine that you’re sat next to Father Christmas. You’ve fnished a long journey to the North Pole and have the opportunity to ask him what his favourite Christmas lms are! We think that he might say…
The Snowman Home Alone
This might be cheating since it’s based The Snowman is a really lm. It’s about a boy called James who makes a big snowman that comes to life! You can watch The Snowman on Channel 4’s streaming service.
When Kevin wakes up to fnd out that his family have accidentally gone on holiday without him, he thinks that he might have to spend Christmas on his own! That’s not a problem for Kevin because it means he can get up to way too much mischief. You can on Disney Plus.
The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland
Let’s be honest – those other flms we’ve suggested are a bit old now. However, this flm comes out this Christmas! Father Christmas receives a Christmas letter from Wonderland (yes, that Wonderland) and sets out on a mission to deliver a special present, with the help of Alice! This flm is available on Sky Cinema from 13 December.
Rudolph’s Reading Ideas
Imagine that you now decide to ask Rudolph for some books to check out. Rudolph must love to read because he’s got a shiny nose – that means that he can read under his covers at night! We think Rudolph would tell you to try…
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
This classic, written by Dr Seuss, is about a creature called the Grinch that hates Christmas. So he decides to steal all of the presents from the town of Whoville! By the end of the book, the Grinch will realise what Christmas is really all about!
The Christmas Pig
When Jack loses his favourite toy on Christmas Eve, he’s absolutely devastated. Then Jack’s new cuddly toy, the Christmas Pig, comes to life! The Christmas Pig has a great plan. Together, Jack and the Christmas Pig will set out on a journey to Jack’s missing toy. Pig was written by J.K. Rowling and we think you’re going to love it!
A Poem For Every Day of Christmas
This wonderful collection has 31 poems for you to read. That’s one poem for every day of December! Each poem will help you to think about Christmas in a different way, and they’re all written by fab poets. Some of the poems might be a bit tricky to read at frst, so why not read them with a parent or carer? It’s a great way of getting ready for Christmas together!
One Last Story
Here’s one last story to check out, but it hasn’t been picked by Father Christmas or Rudolph – it’s been chosen by the Kids Alive! team! We think there’s no better story to read this Christmas than the Nativity, which is the story of the frst Christmas. You can fnd it in the Bible in the books of Luke and Matthew. You could even check out the cartoon that was in our Christmas Special!
To read our Nativity cartoon by Steve English, head to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
Christmas Card Competition The Results
Runners-up
Rabeea, Age 15
Sophie, Age 9
Overall Winner
Paige
Age? 8.
Favourite colour? Pink.
Favourite food? Pizza.
Favourite sport? Football.
Favourite bit of Kids Alive!?
Colouring Corner.
Favourite Bible story and why?
The Christmas story, because that’s when Jesus was born!
Favourite TV programme?
My Very First.
What do you want to be when you’re older? Artist.
Pets? None.
Hobbies? Drawing different characters.
Tell us a joke. What do you call a man with no body and no nose? Nobody knows!
What special skill or talent do you have? I can sit backwards on a couch.
Finley G – age 7
Natalie, Age 12
Tell us something interesting about yourself. I can make paper dolls. Is there anything else you would like to tell us? I like watching Baby Alive on YouTube on my tablet.
